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Chibi-Robo |
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Written by Ben Hartland
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Sunday, 11 June 2006 |
The Gamecube’s lack of titles for the system is leaving the system looking quit dry now. The last title to go under the ‘classic’ category was Resident Evil 4 which received numerous awards for changing the horror genre and the resident evil series. So what can a little robot called Chibi-Robo do for the console? Read on to find out!
The Sanderson family have got problems a lot of families come across. The husband is unemployed, the family has money troubles and there are plenty of bills to pay. So what does the unemployed husband go and do for his daughter’s birthday? Buy a small robot whose goal is to ‘Spread the happiness’ through out the household.  Your may be asking yourselves about now, why am I relating Chibi-Robo to something like Resident Evil 4? Well, they both manage to do something different and do it very well. Resident Evil 4 managed to change the old gameplay mechanics and give them a new lease of life. Chibi-Robo manages to change what is expected of a video game, changing tasks which sound like chores into something which is addictive and fun at the same time. Chibi-Robo is a small robot who is about 4 inches tall and runs off the mains power supply. The gameplay revolves around Chibi-Robo roaming the house completing various chores such as using a toothbrush to clean dirt marks or oil spill on the floor, to collecting piece’s of rubbish scattered across the entire house and sticking them into a bin. Doesn’t sound so fun so far does it? Wrong when you’re actually playing this game, the chores are more like missions that you can choose at your own free will. Which gives the game a great sense of freedom as you choose what area’s of the house you wish to focus on and who in the household you want to help or not. With everyone wanting your help it’s going to drain your battery as you go around the house doing different tasks. When the battery is getting low you can always plug yourself into one of the nearby plug sockets around the home. This gives the player a need to plan ahead before you do anything trying to work out how long your battery is going to last you. There is also a story to follow as you go through the game. The story revolves around the family and the problems the family is going through at the time. The toys in the house also come to life when the humans aren’t around or wake (sounds similar to toy story me thinks!) They also have problems of there own and will require you to help them out. You also choose the majourity of the time what you feel like doing, you can just go around the house doing normal chores or dive into the story as it unfolds. The controls in the game are kept simple enough so that it’s a pick up and play experience but gives you enough control so that you feel you have control of the game. Something that has become an expectancy with most Nintendo products. Most of Chibi-Robo’s actions are executed through the A button and the control stick. The camera is done by using the L button to centre the camera to the back of Chibi-Robo and the C-stick can be used to move around the robot but can sometimes be jagged and not move smoothly. The camera can feel awkward at times, but never gets in the way of what you want to do. Graphics could possibly be the weakest point of Chibi-Robo. The graphics take on a ‘minimalist’ style. The game runs smoothly in both 60 Hz and 50 Hz. The presentation is clear and colourful. It’s just too simplistic for some people’s tastes. So the last burning question. How long will this game last me? It depends on how you play it. If you are a player who only wants to play it for the story alone, then this game won’t last you for much longer then 10 hours. The game offers plenty of sub-mission based on the various characters through out the game who need your help. These missions add a lot of depth to the game and are just as crucial to the game as the main story itself. So with this in mind, the game will last more then 20 hours. This is not a game for everyone. However if you own a gamecube and you want something to do with the console, this could be the answer. Spread the happiness! Score: 7.9/10 |
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